Hingham police say IRS scam attempted on two residents

HINGHAM – Scammers who claim to be working for the Internal Revenue Service are targeting the area again, police said.

Twice within the past five days, residents have reported the scam being attempted, said Hingham police Sgt. Steven Dearth.

“In both incidents, the residents were able to recognize it as a scam and no money was lost,” Dearth said.

Similar scams have been reported locally and nationally. In April, the IRS issued a warning about “sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers.”

“The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. Mail,” the advisory stated. “The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card, or prepaid card information over the telephone.”

In the first incident, the resident was told she owed money in back taxes, Dearth said.

“When the caller told her to go to a convenience store and get a money order or a prepaid card, the resident recognized it as a scam and hung up,” Dearth said.

In the second incident, the caller said the police would be at the resident’s house within 30 minutes if an immediate payment was not made, Dearth said. The resident recognized the scam and hung up.

Dearth said in both attempts, “the resident’s caller ID read ‘IRS’ and ‘D.C.’ with the Washington, D.C. area code of 202. The scammers easily ‘spoofed’ the calls so the caller ID may appear more legitimate.”

Another scam attempt, this one involving a caller posing as a police officer, was also reported in Hingham within the past week.